I wrote this review while participating in a campaign for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Genworth. I attended a live event and received a promotional item to thank me for participating.

My mom is a very healthy and strong woman in her mid-50's. My nephew, niece and daughter love their "Ma" so much because she is the first one to get up and run around with them. Of course she spoils them rotten too but that's a different story! Since my mom is super energetic, works full time and cares for my grandmother, I never thought to have a #LetsTalk about long term care with her.

When I heard that Genworth was having an event giving information about long term care I realized that I needed to have that talk with her. It's better to be prepared before unavoidable things happen. I went to the #LetsTalk Tour in the Flatiron District Plaza and was first greeted by a huge 3-story coffee cup.

My name and email address was taken by the awesome staff and in I went into the cup to have a picture taken of me holding a giant coffee cup.

On the cup they put a "Mom We Have To Talk" caption. Within seconds of leaving the coffee cup I was given my printed picture.

The picture is meant to be given to the loved one you are having the talk with to get things started.

The great actor, Rob Lowe was at the event along with some of the executives from Genworth to answer questions.

Rob Lowe said it best when he said "The Talk is like the birds and the bees for adults. You don't want to have the talk with them but you have to."

I learned that even if you save up for retirement the cost with inflation goes up every year. You can spend between $16,000 and $96,000 a year. If you are thinking about medicare or affordable health care it just isn't enough. You need something else like long term care insurance. Long Term Care Insurance is an insurance policy that helps cover the cost of long term care and services that we need as we age. While some people use this insurance to cover extra costs not covered while staying at an assistance living home or nursing home, most people use this insurance while living in their home with expenses not covered by health insurance.

The next day I had my mom come over and made her a cup of coffee in the Genworth mug. I gave her the cup of coffee and the picture and just started talking about it. At first she looked at me like I was joking. She said "Hey, I'm not that old!" As I kept talking and gave her the information I learned she started to really listen. She agreed that it is something she does need just to be safe. I am so thankful for the Genworth #LetsTalk tour because without it I probably would have never thought about having the talk.

The Genworth #LetsTalk Tour is visiting five cities across the United States – New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Dallas. Click the link to learned more about the tour: http://www.genworth.com/letstalktour

I have tried many tweezers from the really expensive ones to the cheap ones at discount stores. I even had one with a little light in the middle. Only the really expensive ones worked well and when I lost them I didn't want to waste the money on another one.

I like to constantly tweeze my eyebrows because sometimes I don't have time to make it to the salon. By tweezing them constantly you can prolong groomed eyebrows for more than two weeks. This also saves money. I admit I'm frugal :).

I love the Majestic Bombay Tweezers because they have a better grip and are made of stainless steel. The precision-aligned slant tips are best for all your tweezing needs and helps you keep the shape of your eyebrows. The Majestic Bombay tweezer has the perfect tension for superior control which prevents your hands from tiring out. I love how the matte finish makes it non-slip. With some of my other tweezers I was always dropping them right when I was in the middle of tweezing.

The best thing about the tweezer is that they have a lifetime guarantee. How can you go wrong with that? To find out more about the Majestic Bombay Slant Expert Tweezer #MBEyeBrowTweezer and their other products visit their website: http://www.majesticbombay.com/ You can also purchase the tweezers on Amazon.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MeAndMyTea #CollectiveBias

Bigelow is my tea brand of choice. I have been drinking it for years and it is the brand I trust. I love iced tea, hot tea, green tea and have been drinking it even more often during this weight loss journey. Tea has so many great benefits such as having tons of antioxidants and curbing your appetite. I find that when I have a couple of cups of tea a day for a week I tend to lose more weight than any other week.

When I found out that Bigelow Tea is 100% American made it made me even more proud that it is my favorite brand. Bigelow Tea's Charleston Tea Plantations is America's largest working tea garden. They even invite guests to experience the Plantation for weddings, tours and music festivals. I would definitely visit if I am ever in Charleston. Not only are they American made but they sent almost 4 million bags of tea to troops overseas with the Bigelow's Tea for Troops program.

What better way than to celebrate America's Birthday on the Fourth of July with a nice refreshing and decorative frozen pop made with #AmericasTea. I headed out to Walmart to pick up my Bigelow tea, some berries and some cute 4th of July decorations.

Fourth of July Layered Frozen Pops

1/2 cup blueberries

1/2 cup strawberries

1/4 cup Greek vanilla yogurt

1/4 cup almond milk

2 bags of Bigelow Lemon Green Tea

apple

lemon

agave nectar

Boil one cup of water and place in mug. Add the two bags of tea and let steep for 10 minutes. Let cool.

Place strawberries and 1/4 cup of cooled tea into mini blender. Blend until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh strainer. Add agave nectar to taste and mix well.

After starting the Dr. Oz Rapid Weight Loss Plan in January I have been trying to eat cleaner. I have been drinking a lot of berry protein shakes and green smoothies. I have wanted to try juicing but have always had the idea that it is too expensive. I remember having a juicer when I was a teenager and having to juice tons and tons of vegetables and fruits just to get a small cup of juice. It also made a big mess and looked wasteful when I saw all of the pulp.

My idea of juicing being expensive changed with I got the Big Boss Power Juicer. Taking it right out of the box it was super easy to clean and put together. The locking latch and lid with tabs made me feel extra secure about using it. It comes with a pitcher that fits right into the spout where the juice comes out so there is no mess. The pulp collector is huge so I can keep juicing without having to empty it.

I made a carrot apple ginger juice that I found on the Dr. Oz website and was amazed at how much juice I got. Three carrots, 2 apples and a little piece of ginger filled a 2 cup mason jar. When I looked into the pulp collector the pulp was bone dry so I felt that the Big Boss Power Juicer did an outstanding job of getting every little drop of juice from the produce.

The Big Boss Juicer has an extra large feeder where an entire apple can fit. It has 2 speed operation for soft and hard fruits and vegetables. It has a stainless steel blade/filter that grinds and filters fruits and vegetables through a super fine mesh. It is made of a durable stainless steel housing so it is going to work and last for a long time.

Weigh In: I gained 15.8 pounds for an adjusted total weight loss of 48 pounds. I lost 13 pounds last week with the stomach virus and knew some of it would come back but I didn't know I would gain that much. I know it is my body adjusting to what I went through with the stomach virus but seeing a weight gain like that is still pretty shocking and disappointing.

Nutrition: So I have to admit that it hasn't been a great eating week. I finally got my appetite back and started eating things I craved like fast food. I didn't make healthy choices and even had an iced coffee several times this week. I also went out to eat on Sunday on another date night with the husband. Time to get back on track with the Skinny Jane 10 Day Challenge!

Exercise: Monday and Tuesday I was still recuperating. The rest of the week I walked tons. I hit my goal Wednesday through Sunday. Though I am enjoying the weather and walks I really need to get into the gym for a tougher workout. It is only a matter of time before my body adjusts to the walking and it will not be enough.

Goals:

Go to the Gym Three Times

Strength Training Three Times

Restart Plank Challenge

Complete 10 Day Skinny Burn Challenge

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Having family in the mattress business I have always known the importance of mattress protectors. They keep your mattress clean from any spills and stains that can void your warranty. More important, mattress covers also protect your mattress from allergens, dust mites, bed bugs and their waste.

My husband and I have a full enclosed mattress protector on both our mattress and box springs. When I was purchasing my daughter's bed I couldn't find one like that so I had to go with the mattress protector that just went over top like a fitted sheet.

I was super happy to get to review the Zip & Block mattress protector for my daughter's toddler bed. The Zip & Block is unquilted and manufactured with an outer zipper flap, an interior zipper flap and reinforced inner seams for the most effective barrier to related allergens. It is a soft knit fabric with an ultra-thin breathable polyurethrane membrane provides protection from allergen molecules of less than 1.0 micron.

It was super easy to slip on like a pillow case and zipper up. I love the nice little stretch in the fabric and the smooth feel of it. It also helps the fitted sheets go on a little easier.

Now that I have a daughter photo gifts are the best gifts you can give or receive. I have everything with my daughter's picture from photo canvases, notebooks to even my smartphone case. The best thing I have received so far is the Photo Puzzle from Piczzle.

They take any photo you want and make a high quality puzzle in your choice of size, design and pieces. I decided to go with the Standard Basic design so that I could have my daughter front and center on the puzzle. I also picked to have it cut into 6 pieces so that it would be easy for my daughter to put together.

I was really impressed on how easy it was to follow the steps on the website and upload the picture. My Photo Puzzle was also shipped super fast. I love that it comes in it's own little box with a picture on the box too.

My daughter was super excited to start working on the puzzle. When she finally realized it was her she kept saying her name and pointing to the puzzle. The puzzle is made of such high quality thick card board that I am not even worried about her bending or breaking the puzzle.

About Me

I am a first time mom of a little girl. During the journey of having my baby I gained baby weight and then some. Join me on my journey as I try to lose the weight while juggling the craziness of being a first time mom.